Chapter 189
Chapter 189
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 188
Chapter Title: Hard-Working Pay-to-Win Knight
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‘The F·D members all have great personalities. The internet said they were picky, though….’
Internet rumors really can’t be trusted, after all.
“Hahaha.”
“Hoho.”
Dinner proceeded in a warm and lively atmosphere.
The F·D members were kind and humorous, and above all, they possessed vast knowledge and experience.
In fact, their knowledge and experience went far beyond just magic.
“This ultimately means that the most important thing in gathering aura is the completion of one’s philosophy. Mental arts and martial arts are fundamentally rooted in it, so approaching martial arts through concepts of logic and reason is bound to lead to a big mistake.”
Black Dragon Heukyo was a beauty with an exotic Eastern appearance, distinct from the other four members. She wore skin-tight skinny jeans and a blouse that barely covered her hips, with the top two buttons undone to give some breathing room to the buttons straining against her chest.
Her jet-black hair fell gracefully, evoking the image of a top model from a major entertainment agency, but what flowed from her lips was not fashion talk—it was profound martial philosophy.
“The most important thing is simply to establish your intent as a firm pillar. The color or material of that pillar doesn’t matter. If there are ten thousand absolute experts, there are ten thousand enlightenments. And this enlightenment is the totality of one’s life, so it can’t be passed on to anyone.”
“You know your stuff.”
“Of course I do.”
Heukyo smirked and picked up a knife from the table.
Swipe.
Without a sound or any release of energy, pitch-black aura manifested.
“…Heukyo.”
The other members frowned, but Heukyo remained nonchalant.
“Why react so sensitively? It’s just us here. Jaeyeon, this is a secret, so don’t go telling anyone, okay?”
‘Just us? What are we to each other?’
For a moment, Jaeyeon harbored that doubt, but he wasn’t foolish enough to question it in this situation.
“Of course. But an absolute expert….”
The speed at which she formed sword aura and the skill in concealing her energy were extraordinary. She was a seasoned transcender—level 23, at least, if measured by levels.
‘And she’s probably an archmage on top of that. Unreal.’
It wasn’t an efficient path. Sure, it’d be nice if an archmage could unleash sword aura and protect themselves with protective aura. But once you’ve reached the [Transcendence] realm, acquiring another ability wouldn’t bring dramatic power gains.
A level 20 archmage reaching absolute expert level would only boost their combat power to level 21—at best, 22.
Meanwhile, consider the time invested, the talent required, and the resources spent?
Not to mention the risk of failing to break through the [Wall] after grueling training. The enlightenments of an archmage and an absolute expert diverged in direction.
‘But… for a chromatic dragon, it’s possible.’
A mythical dragon that’s lived hundreds of thousands of years—time like that is no obstacle.
“Well, I have my reasons. Just like how you’re a vitality transcender and a peak expert.”
At Heukyo’s words, Jaeyeon nodded readily.
He couldn’t hide his abilities from her anyway.
“True, you mentioned an extraordinary bloodline. If it’s not rude… could I learn about your enlightenment, Heukyo?”
“Nothing in the world is eternal.”
Jaeyeon let out a hollow laugh at the overly simple statement.
“…Of course.”
“Enlightenment is precisely that kind of obvious truth.”
As expected, it offered zero reference. If enlightenment could be conveyed in a single sentence, who in the world wouldn’t achieve it?
But aside from talk of her enlightenment… the conversation with Heukyo was an immense stroke of fortune for Jaeyeon.
Where else in the world could he meet such a friendly absolute expert?
And she wasn’t the only [mentor] there.
Red Dragon Ruby had perfected an extreme will body that allowed transformation from a magic-capable flesh to one specialized in close combat. White Dragon Snow was a saint who could freely wield the power of forgotten gods. Sapphire was a chakra transcender who had mastered lightning-attribute celestial patterns.
Flower was a spirit user harboring a world tree in her subspace.
‘Yeah, this is definitely worth hiding.’
Jaeyeon inwardly chuckled in disbelief. It made perfect sense for them to keep their second abilities secret and pose only as mages. People weren’t idiots—if they learned these powerhouses were young adult dragons who’d just surpassed 1,000 years, they’d obviously find it suspicious.
Even now, using only magic, they drew suspicion.
“Did you know you can divide biofactor evolution by muscle group?”
“In the Heavenly Demon Divine Art…”
“If you apply the newly developed triple resonance to enchantments, you can fit two types into one piece of gear…”
Realizing from a brief exchange that Jaeyeon sought practical topics, the four dragons took the lead.
Jaeyeon ate diligently while immersing himself in the information they poured out.
‘My hunch was right.’
Meanwhile, Flower—the one who arranged this gathering—occasionally reacted while monitoring the members’ states.
Their unusual liveliness, the faint heat in their gazes and voices.
Now Flower was certain.
‘The impulse I felt… they’re feeling it too.’
Flower recalled the day she invited Jaeyeon to her home.
If darkness hadn’t intervened that day… she would’ve gone all the way without a doubt. Considering it was something her past self would’ve found repulsive, it was clearly abnormal.
‘Yes. Now… I get it.’
Listening to the vibrant voices of her comrades, sisters—perhaps more—Flower thought.
It’s different from dragon lover. Dragon lover was purely the result of soul and spirit resonance, like the deep emotion and affinity from a masterpiece film or novel.
But Jaeyeon was different.
This was raw, more physical emotion.
In other words.
‘This is… sexual impulse.’
To someone earning 2.1 million won a month, even a one-sided acquaintance—like a friend of a friend—asking for a 300,000-won meal would earn them curses as a lunatic.
If it were just a friend? You’d gladly cuss them out and punch them.
But if… that person had a sensual body and idol-center-level looks?
He’d start thinking marriage.
Sexual impulse. Even if rationally the odds of it working out were less than 0.001%, many would dive in.
Like moths to a flame, or youths burning money and time at clubs every night—sexual desire was a powerfully primal drive moving living beings.
“Hahaha!”
“Hohoho!”
Everyone was having a blast. For Jaeyeon, time with them was fortune in itself. For the five dragons, this gathering with him was dreamily sweet and exhilarating.
But the four dragons didn’t yet know what emotion they were feeling. Only Flower grasped the situation perfectly.
‘Lust, huh….’
Even after hundreds of thousands of years, it was a novel sensation. The chromatic dragons didn’t reproduce to begin with, so they had no gender or experience. As staunch racial purists in the past, they rarely even polymorphed—mere knowledge, nothing more.
And now.
Torn into five, the chromatic dragons finally experienced this intense impulse that had swayed countless beings since the universe’s birth.
“Oh, it’s already this late.”
“Ah…”
“Oh…”
At Jaeyeon’s words, everyone sighed in disappointment.
It was already 1 a.m. Dinner had ended long ago; they’d been chatting over snacks.
“Hey, um… how about round two? Drinks at my place? I’ve got good stuff.”
Jaeyeon couldn’t help but be tempted by Ruby’s offer.
Time with them had been too enjoyable—and informative.
But going along would just repeat Flower’s incident.
“Sorry, I’ve got a schedule.”
Not just any schedule—it was packed tight. No room for sleep, let alone drinks?
If they had more experience or resolve, such a refusal wouldn’t matter… but these four dragons didn’t even know the true nature of their excitement. No reason to push.
Alone, maybe an atmosphere could build, but this was a group with the other members.
“Then let’s exchange numbers!”
“Yeah! Me too!”
The four dragons hijacked Cheda on their own. Security on a smart pet was useless against transcenders.
Cheda circled them, adding their contacts.
“By the way… you must be super busy.”
At Snow’s soft voice, Jaeyeon replied.
“Yeah. My schedule from now on…”
He recited his upcoming itinerary roughly. They knew he was a novelist, so no worries.
Snow looked dumbfounded at Jaeyeon’s schedule.
“No way… there’s no time to sleep? Even for a vitality transcender. And why so much entertainment work?”
“Because I actually am an entertainer.”
Pushed to the corner of his profile now, but still a popular actor?
“Even actual entertainers don’t run around negotiating on foot! What’s your manager doing?”
“Don’t have one. Solo operation…”
“No agency either?”
“Oh, yeah. Why?”
At his answer, the four dragons—and even Flower, who’d kept her distance—brightened up.
Finally, Snow spoke.
“Then I have a proposal…”
* * *
1. Granting of Management Rights
Party A grants Party B exclusive management rights regarding public cultural arts services…
2. Protection of Singer’s Privacy and Personality Rights, etc.
Party B shall allow Party A to fully utilize their talents and skills…
3. Regarding public cultural arts services over which Party B shall exclusively exercise rights during the contract period…
He read the contract. Nothing special. He’d heard about it from agencies that approached him before, and he knew this straightforward contract had no poison pills.
‘Never thought I’d actually sign with an agency.’
Dragon Star.
He was contracting with an entertainment company that had only one artist team. Just one team, but with funds and influence no 34th Earth agency could match.
‘Well, that one team is F·D….’
Honestly, he’d planned to go solo. He’d managed fine alone so far, no issues.
But seeing the contract changed his mind instantly.
The sole mandatory clause:
[Party A shall conduct business in the space provided by Party B to the extent possible.]
In plain terms: go to work!
The attached perks, though, were beyond imagination.
[After deducting all fees and taxes, based on the amount deposited into Party B’s corporate account, Party A shall receive 10% of the ‘10’ in a 10:0 ratio.]
Distribution ratio: 10:0.
‘Crazy. They must be loaded.’
Passing this up would be idiotic.